Slain LAX TSA officer remembered as a family man

Paul Ciancia, the suspect in Friday's shooting at Los Angeles International Airport, could face the death penalty if he's convicted of murdering a federal officer. TSA officer Gerardo Hernandez was fatally shot; four other people were wounded.
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Gerardo Hernandez(Photo: AP)

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Ana Hernandez made the short statement Saturday in front of the couple's house

"He was always excited to go to work and enjoyed the interactions with the passengers at LAX," said his wife, Ana. "He was a joyful person, always smiling. He took pride in his duty for the American public and for the TSA mission."

Ana Hernandez made the short statement Saturday in front of the couple's house in Porter Ranch in the San Fernando Valley. Her hands shook and her voice cracked as she read off a folded piece of paper, stopping at times.

"Gerardo was a great man who always showed his love for our family. He was always there to help anyone in need and always made people laugh with his wonderful sense of humor," she said.

Hernandez was the first TSA official in the agency's 12-year history to be killed in the line of duty.

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Transportation Security Administration officer Gerardo Hernandez, 39, was shot to death by a gunman who went on a shooting rampage in Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport Friday. Several others were wounded. Family photo via AP

Police check the area around Terminal 1 at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 1, 2013. A gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire at the airport killing a Transportation Security Administration employee and wounding other people. Reed Saxon, AP

Gasaya Ichihara, left, runs across a street with her daughter, Sachika, as they try to make their flight to Japan at Los Angeles International Airport. Thousands of fliers were delayed Friday after a shooting in Terminal 3 closed parts of the airport for hours. Gregory Bull, AP

TSA Administrator John Pistole offered condolences to Hernandez's wife and children Saturday, spending about 30 minutes at the family's home. Pistole said the agency would review its policy on officer safety.

TSA officers are "the first line of defense" in airport security, he said, pledging that the agency would do everything possible to make sure Friday's tragedy was never repeated.

The 100-foot pylons that mark the symbolic gateway to the airport, the nation's third-busiest, were lit blue in honor of Hernandez. Fellow TSA and law enforcement officers wore black mourning bands.

Born in El Salvador, Hernandez was the youngest of four boys. He moved to the United States when he was 15. Four years later, he met his wife, and they married on Valentine's Day in 1998.

Friend and former TSA co-worker Kevin Maxwell said Hernandez was a family man.

"All he talked about was his family," Maxwell told KNBC-TV. "He was very proud of his son, who played football."

Neighbor Ken Wong told KCBS-TV: "Here's a man who was trying to serve his country, do his job well and support his family, and this is a senseless thing that happened."